Trip Report 4-12-03

My last trip to Vegas!!

Just kidding. My wife and I are expecting our second child, so I had to get away one more time before the baby is due. I cover Boxing fights so I was there this saturday for the Barrera vs Morales fight. If anyone paid to see this fight, I feel your pain. Anyway, I get a call early morning stating our Photographer is sick and wont make the trip. I start to get worried due to the fact I have a one way ticket and I didnt want to buy a return ticket at the last minute. But I am informed he is awarding us his southwest rewards for a free trip back. I book the trip and then were off. I arrive in Vegas at 12:30. We take a cab to the Mgm Grand. Once there we get a quick bite and head to get our press credentials. After receiving the credentials, I am off for my search of Silver Strikes. I pull out my list and head over the walk way to the NYNY. I scout for an empty strike machine and find one. This one had 3 sports designs. One was a basketball. Not my cup of tea so I move on. I come to a Babe Ruth machine with 4 different designs. I drop a ten and strike two of the same one. Another strike machine I drop $20 and get two Grand Opening strikes. I decide to trade and at the cage I was given a Miss Liberty and a different Ruth. I head out down the strip to the Aladdin. There I drop $40 and get two of the same strikes, the one featuring the casino. By this time I head back to the fight. After the fight, I plan out my attack. I head down the strip to the Monte Carlo. Three times around the casino and not one strike machine. I asked two people, both of which stated that they have been removed. Then its Caesars. I am looking forward to it the whole trip. There I drop $100 in the $40 strike machine and nothing. Pretty mad cause I forgot to insert my slot card. I then find a second machine for $10. Insert ten and received a winged victory $10 token. Next up is the Mirage, Danny Gans tokens so I leave. Dont care to collect those. I am looking forward to the Treasure Island, but I only find one machine and its out of order. What a bummer! It was one that I wanted to collect. Cross over to the Venetian and after much asking I find two of them. They are casino sites and one of the casino itself. There I drop $40 and receive three. I am happy and head out to Harrah's . Harrahs and Osheas have patriotic designs and I pass on them since I have a complete set of the McCarran patriotic strikes. Back to the Alladin and try my luck again and well nothing for $40. By this time my feet hurt and develop a pain in my leg from too much walking. I had 12 strikes and it cost me approx $200.
Now I am a new collector and boy is strike collecting expensive. But it was a good take except for Caesars. I wish the Palms had the Seattle Slew a day early I would have been really happy.

-Ketan